


Allowing Forgiveness

by Flakeblood



Series: October Prompts 2020 [23]
Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ Castlevania | Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: Dracula is the one who dies, F/M, Forgiveness, Hurt/Comfort, It's a bit too angsty for fluff, It's the after life woohoo!, M/M, October Prompt Challenge, Reconciliation, Sad with a Happy Ending, basically post season 2, but fyi they're still dead, dammit vlad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27205016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flakeblood/pseuds/Flakeblood
Summary: Vlad's visit to the afterlife gives him back more love than he expected.
Relationships: Dracula Vlad Tepes | Mathias Cronqvist/Lisa, Leon Belmont/Dracula Vlad Tepes | Mathias Cronqvist
Series: October Prompts 2020 [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950874
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	Allowing Forgiveness

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Let him be forgiven in the afterlife](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/705353) by Gaiakind. 



> Day 24: Fluff with major character death
> 
> I... I tried. I really did. But you can see the prompt I was working with. QuQ

Dying wasn’t as painful as Dracula assumed it might be; At least, not in the ways he had imagined. Being killed quickly was less painful than allowing himself to slowly starve to death in a lonely world. Unfortunately, his release from life came at a great cost: His son had to kill him. That emotional blow continued to feel like a stake to the heart, a phantom pain which didn’t seem to dissipate, even as he lost all his senses and became lost to the void of death.

For several long eternities, Dracula simply existed, no feelings, no thoughts, like he was wavering between waking and sleep. Then there was something solid beneath his feet.

He had a body.

It was disorienting, so Dracula took some time gathering his bearings. He was dead, he had to be. So where was he? If he was being honest, he had rather expected the flames of Hell, if anything. 

But it could not be, for two reasons. The first was that the space was softly nebulous, with no torturous visions or persecution. The second was a far greater convincer: Lisa was there.

Dracula felt himself freeze, even as Lisa moved closer to him, a sad smile on her face.

“Lisa…” he whispered.

He almost couldn’t believe it was real. How could he possibly deserve such a radiant woman there to greet him when he had so much wrong in his life? But there she was, stepping into the arms he hesitantly held out for her.

“Lisa, my love,” Dracula whispered, even quieter. Her warmth seeped into his frozen bones and heart--awe filled him as he lowered his head to hers. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for everything I’ve done.”

Lisa sighed and wrapped her arms around him; They simply stood in each other’s embrace, Dracula feeling himself come undone, a weight trying to fall out from his chest.

“Please, forgive me, my love.”

Lisa pulled back, and his heart sank. But she lifted a hand to his cheek, her own smile tremulous but her eyes filled with love. “I do. I forgive you, dear.”

And with her on tiptoes, clinging to his neck as he bent down, and her lips on his his, he became Vlad once again.

He basked in her presence for sometime, just enjoying being with her again, his worries slowly melting away, to be thought about later, or never. When they parted, Vlad felt himself returning her joy with a genuine smile of his own; They were never as bright as hers, but it felt good on his face. Lisa seemed to think so as well, since she traced her fingertips over it, giggling as he kissed them.

She took Vlad by the hand then, and they walked side by side, Lisa taking the lead.

“Is this all there is, then?” he asked, slightly unimpressed and confused by the surrounding scenery, or lack thereof.

“Yes… and no.” Lisa answered. She shrugged. “I don’t have all the answers, though I’ve a feeling I might’ve seen this place before. All I know is that I’ve only seen a few other souls here.”

“Hm. Well, so long as I’m with you, I suppose it doesn’t matter where this is.” Vlad squeezed her hand.

Lisa squeezed back, then pulled him down for another peck. She sighed when she pulled back.

“I wasn’t the only one worried for you,” she said gently.

“No?” Vlad wondered if some were the other souls Lisa mentioned. He wondered who they could possibly be, since he’d been alone for many centuries.

“No,” Lisa confirmed. She turned away, facing what seemed like a distortion in the featureless landscape. “He wept for you too, you know. We both did.”

His son? Adrian? But no, someone here. “Who, my love?”

“Take a look.” Lisa gestured to the distortion, now as clear as a distance mirror.

However, the image was something Vlad never believed he would see. It was Leon, from 400 years ago, in front of the castle in the Forest of Eternal Night. When Vlad… no, when Mathias lost Leon’s trust.

“What…” Vlad whispered to himself.

Leon dropped to his knees, crying and wailing, fat teardrops sliding down his face like rivers. Even though Vlad was dead, his heart unbeating, and Mathias dead even longer, Vlad felt sympathetic tears rising to the surface of his own eyes.

“Leon…” He murmured. But an image could not hear him, especially one of the distant past. It was only a memory, now. “No, no all the pain I caused him…”

He couldn’t tear his eyes away. Why would Lisa show him this? And he had gone and fought not only his own son, but Leon’s descendents, as well. Had been the reason they had come after him in the first place.

“We cried for you, this past year, my love,” Lisa said.

Vlad placed a hand to his own face, feeling the sticky wetness on his cheeks. Leon had been here? Had he cried over what became of the lands his family protected for so long? Cried for what had become of a long lost friend?

“All the sacrifices he had to make,” he said to himself. “He would never forgive me, Lisa.”

Soft hands on his pulled, firm but tender, until he was revealed to his wife once again. She wiped at his tears, her own smile crooked.

“Oh, I think he will.”

“What?”

Vlad sensed another presence. When he turned, he almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Eyes which he remembered only as foggy memories, tainted by hatred and betrayal, and by shouted accusations, looked on him with fondness. Leon looked as young as Vlad last remembered him, unburdened by the mistakes they--mainly Vlad--had made.

Vlad swallowed, whispering Leon’s name so quietly he wasn’t even sure the sound left his mouth. But then Leon was by his side, wrapping one arm around his back, and the other reaching up to help with the last of his tears.

“It’s good to see you.” His voice was so soft, so sweet, Vlad burst into tears again.

He bundled up his two loves in his arms, holding their soothing noises and small laughs as close to his heart as he could.

“It’s alright,” they said to him, “We’re here, it’s okay.”

And for the first time in over a year, it was.

**Author's Note:**

> Couldn't make it fluffy (I blame dramatic angsty man Vlad aka Mathias), but I was glad to place him back with his two greatest loves. (●´□`)♡ Yes, I did imply Lisa is Elisabetha's reincarnation. That's the fanon I'm going with.
> 
> This whole thing was inspired by a [wonderful comic](https://gaiakind.tumblr.com/post/179902554097/let-him-be-forgiven-in-the-afterlife) from Gaiakind on tumblr, so big kudos and thanks to them!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


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